Boy in HSE care 'left in internet cafe'

The Health Service Executive left a 16-year-old boy, who is waiting for psychiatric assessment, in an internet cafe on Tuesday night because it had no suitable accommodation for him.

The incident was revealed by Fine Gael's Alan Shatter during a Dáil debate on the proposed Constitutional Amendment on the rights of children.

Mr Shatter said the boy was no longer in the education system, had fallen into a street life and was becoming drug dependent.

Mr Shatter asked Minister for Children Barry Andrews to find out what was happening to that boy.

He said other gaps in child care services were exposed in today's newspapers.

These include the case of a young Chinese girl who arrived in Ireland this year and disappeared after one day in a B&B. She is feared to have been the victim of human trafficking.

Mr Shatter said there was also a 17-year-old boy, with severe mental health difficulties, who was known to the HSE in two areas, but neither area would take responsibility for him.

He had been psychiatrically assessed but there had been no follow-up.

It was believed he had been sexually abused, but according to Mr Shatter the boy had essentially been 'cut loose' by the HSE.

Mr Shatter said that the two boys could be wandering the streets tonight.

These children did not need a Constitutional Amendment about their rights, they needed someone to resolve the failures in the HSE, he said.

In a statement, the HSE said it has been informed that the office of the Minister for Children is contacting Mr Shatter to get information from him in relation to the two teenagers.

The HSE said it will immediately follow-up on both cases once it has this information. It said it takes the issues raised by Mr Shatter 'very seriously'.